With his usual cool and concise approach Crilley once again reaches for his pencils to this time take on the ‘manga’ head shape and facial features. By beginning with basic geometric shapes like the circle he is able to form all the key features of a manga/anime cartoon character. Essential skills for your sketch pad! So grab your pencils and sketchbook and learn the manga techniques to improve your style and technique in drawing cartoons.

With a preliminary sketch in his book, Naismith marks out and designs his drawing from which he wants to base his oils painting. This is an alla prima oil painting of the ‘Old Man Of Storr in Skye’ It is a time lapsed video but it is a real insight into seeing how Naismith really works into his paintings with passion and a keen eye for expressive colors. He uses a variety of tools including, brushes, spatulas and palette knives. Nice inspirational work.

Having a sketchbook and using it can be one of the most beneficial tools to an artist beacause not only does it allow you to log down ideas which you might have it is also portable and easy to sketch down an idea whilst you’re on the go.

This video guides you through some of the tools like pens, pencils, inks and erasers which most artist’s would deem as essential utensils for their sketching needs. The artists in this art tutorial features a ring bound sketch pad and an ink calligraphy pen to draw down some very quick figurative sketches with the aim to try and capture movement and flow. In a sense he is trying to emulate the scenario of if you were on the road and had to do a very quick drawing.

These drawings as aforementioned are designed to be quick and only capture the vital essence of the subject matter and are then used as reference later on in the studio to draw and sketch from or more than likely create a painting from.

So if you take on board some of the hints and tips which are offered in this art video then it won’t be too long before you are sketching away and logging your drawings in a much more professional and time effective manner.

Saper uses three models in this video art tutorial to highlight how to paint and notice subtleties within skin tone. The models are a young blond haired Caucasian, brunette Caucasian and a lady with dark skin containing red tones.

She approaches all three models with the same strategy which is having them pose in the directional light of her choice to then literally mix up her oil paints in front of them and match the hues to the subjects. She uses a small trowel palette knife to mix a variety of colors including raw umber, cadmium yellow medium, ivory black, and ochre amongst other paints to attain her desired palette before logging them in her sketchbook for reference when she takes on the painting from the photograph back in her studio.

She talks around the models allowing you to see which areas are of greater cool tonal value and which areas are more relevant for illuminating with a highlighting hue. The whole procedure is very professional and is a great starting block for her to project her eventual oil paintings.

This video exhibits the sketches, doodles and caricatures drawn by artist Mark Mcdonnell over a period of time. Just from visually studying his drawings within his sketchbook and listening to his voice talk over the top you can soon realise how fun it can be and how it is important to have variation within your sketches alongside using careful placement to best fill your sketchpad.

The idea of a sketchbook is to get your thoughts and practices down on paper in your own time without anyone else seeing or critiquing them. McDonnell prefers to use an off white hue paper with a medium texture as it makes for a smoother drawing experience as well as allowing him to use white pencil to highlight his various sketches and really set out the dark tones.

Just because it is a sketchbook doesn’t mean it is solely has to be sketches, you can use washes, inks, crayons or whatever you lay your hands on to gather inspiration at that particular moment in time. McDonnell has a variety of subject matter contained within his sketch pad and states that he just enjoys capturing life in its rawest form, particularly drawing baby monkeys or other wildlife at the zoo in all their various playful poses.

The sketchbook in this demonstration contains a whole wealth of drawing styles; black and white, semi-finished renderings, pen, pencil, crayon, paint, caricature, experimental shapes, silhouettes, linear drawings and inks amongst others. Take the time to see how he focuses on his compositions and placement of drawing to best fill his pages as this is useful for utilising the space on the page as well as maximising its effect as an overall composition.